The crime figures also show year-on-year rises for reports of theft of passenger property (up 21%), public disorder (up 9%) and theft from shops and kiosks (up 10%).

The data relates to Britain’s mainline railway, London Underground, Glasgow Subway and tram systems in the West Midlands, south London and the North East.

Susie Homan, director of planning, engineering and operations at industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: “With 20 crimes per million passenger journeys recorded in 2018/19, Britain’s railway remains one of the safest in the world.

“As an industry we are working with the BTP to return to a long-term trend of falling crime on the railway, by trialling and investing in new technology like body worn cameras for staff and working with police to increase the reporting of crime.”